Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-02-16


first white man to say it."
Indeed" laughed Hale. "Who was the
otherfn
"George Lee."
~ CHAPTER VI.
The laughter that followed was interrupted
by a sudden barking of the dogs in the outer
clearing. Zenobia rose lazily and strobe to
the window. It relieved Hale of certain
embarrassing reflections suggested by her
comment.
"If Sit amt that od-forsaken fool Dick
bringing up passengers from the snow bound
up stage in the road! I reckon I've got
suthin' to say to that" But the later appear
anceiof the apologetic Dick, with the nssur-
auce TINT the party carried a permission from
her {ather, granted at the lower station in
visw Il such an emergency, checked herac-
two opposition "That's like paw" she solilo-
quized aSg,ievedly; "shuttin' us up and SET
tim the dogs on everybody for week, and
then letting the whole stage service pass
through one door and out at another Well,
it's his house and his whisky, and they kin
take it, but they don't get me to help 'enl."
They certainly were not prepossessing or
good natured acquisition to the party. Apart
from tho natural antagonism which, on such
occasions, those in possession always feel
toward the new conner, they were strongly
inclined to resist the dissatisfied querulous-
ness and aggressive attitude of these fresh
applicants for hospitality. The most offensive
one was person who appeared to exercise
some authority over the others. He was loud,
assuming and dressed with vulgar preten-
sion. He quickly disposed himself i'll the
chair vacated by Zenobia, and called for
some liquor.
~ reckon you'll hev to help yourself" said
Rawlins dryly, as the summons met with no
response. "There ere only two women in
the house, and reckon their hands are full
already"
@I call it id uncivil treatment" said
the man, raising his voice; "and Hennicker
had better sing smaller if he don't want his
old den pulled down some day. He amt any
better than men that hev been picked up
afore now"
"You oughter told him that, and mebbe
he'd hev come over with yer" returned Raw
Inns. "He's u mild, soft, easy going man, is
Hennicker. Amt he, Col. CGnchs"
The casual mention of Clinch's name pro-
duced the effect which the speaker probably
intended The stranger stared at Cinch,
who, apparently oblivious of the converse
tion, was blinking his cold, gray eyes at the
fire. Dropping his aggressive tone to mere
querulousness, the man sought the whisky
demiiohn, and helped himself and his COM
panions. Fortified by liquor he returned to
the fire.
II reckon you've heard about this yer rob-
berry, colonel" he said, addressing Clinch,
with an attempt at easy familiarity.
Without raising his eyes from the tire
Clinch briefly nssented, II reckon"
DIM up yer examining into it for the ex'
press"
"Lost much?" asked Rawiins.
aNot so much ez they might hev. That
- fool =Harkins had 100000 in greenbacks
sealed up like an ordinary package OF l,ooo'
and gave it to friend, Bill Guthrie, in the
bank to pick out some unlikely chap among
the passengers to take charge of it to Reno.
He wouldn't trust the express. Ha! ha|
The dead, oppressive silence that followed
mis- empty laughter made it seem almost arti,
fetal. Rawlins held his breath and looked
at Clinch. Hale, with the instincts OF re-
fined, sensitive man, turned hot with the
embarrassment Clinch should have shown.
For that gentleman, without lifting his eyes
from the fire, and with no apparent change
in his demeanor, lazily asked:
aye didn't ketch the name O. that passen.
gera"
NATURALLY, no! For when Guthrie hears
what was said agin him he wouldn't give hli
name until he heard from him"
aAnd what was said agin himm asked
Clinch musingly.
"What would be said agin man that give
up that sum O money, like a chaw Of to-
bacco, for the asking! Why, there were but
three men, as far ez we kin hear, that did the
job. And there were four passengers inside,
armed, and the driver and express messenger
on the box Six were robbed by three!-they
were sweet scented lot! Reckon they must
hev felt mighty small, for hear they got up
and skedaddled from the station under the
pretext of lookin' for the robbers" He
laughed again, and the laugh was noisily re-
peated by his five companions at the other
end of the room.
Hale, who had forgotten that the stranger
was only echoing part of his own criticism
of eight hours before, was on the point of
rising with burning cheeks and angry indig-
nation, when the lazily uplifted eve OF
Clinch caught his, and absolutely held him
down with its paralyzing and deadly signid-
cance Murder itself seemed to look from
those cruelty quiet and remorseless gray
pupils. For a moment he forgot his own
rage in this glimpse of Clinch's implacable
resentment; for moment he felt thrill of
plIS 1OI Iue "IeLCu WIZ uuu pio'ohSt w.
He remained motionless and fascinated in
his chair as the lazy lids closed like sheath
over Cinch's eyes again. Rawlins, who had
probably received the same glance of warn
ing, remained equally still.
"They haven't heard the last of it yet, you
bet" continued the infatuated stranger.
"Ive got little statement here for the
newspaper" he added, drawing some papers
from his pocket; "suthin' 1 just run off in
the coach as l came along reckon it'll
show things up in new light. It's time
there should be some change. All the cuss-
in that's been usually done hrz been by the
passengers agin the express and stage COM
pany. Ipropose that the company should
do little cussin' themselves. See! P'r'aps
you don't mind my readn' it to ye! It's
just spicy enough to suit them newspaper
chaps"
"Go on" said COL Clinch quietly.
The man cleared his throat, with the pre-
liminary pose of authorship, and his five
friends, to whom the composition was evil
IDENTIFY not unfamiliar, assumed anticipatory
smiles.
81 call it Prize Pusillanimous Passen-
gers Sort of runs easy off the tongue, you
know.
I.Tt now annears that the success of the